Home schooling verses public schooling, everyone argue it out.?

Question

which do you do, and which do you think is better?

Answer 1

We have had our kids in  both homeschooling and traditional schools.  We returned to homeschooling.  For the 'socialization' myth, what kind of 'learning' are they coming home with from public schools.  My kids came home with 'same s*x' parenting brochures, birth control at age 9, kids smoking at bus stops at age 8, and you get the idea.  For us, homeschooling blows that away.

I agree that homeschooling is a 'calling' but you must also know that there is no such think as a 'professional' educator these days.  The statistics according to the NEA is that over 40 percent of the public school teachers in the nation have only a 2 year diploma.  It is not uncommon to find an accountant teaching chemistry in schools since there is a great shortage of science teachers.  My sister is a CPA and the market is flooded with CPAs.  So she is a  freshman biology teacher at what is considered an up-scale school district in Evanston IL.   The literature teacher at her school has a degree in electrical engineering but 'likes to read' so he got a job as an AR literature teacher but has NO qualifications.  I myself am on a substitute list for our school district and have taught science, math, English as well as Spanish.  And I have NO experience in Spanish, but the schools give teachers the 'book/manual' to teach out of in order for test scores to be high.  

Most public schools teach the test so the pool of 'professional' teachers that LOVE their job is small.  

I agree that some parents might not have the patience for home schooling, so for them I recommend that they volunteer at their children's school in order to get a handle on what is being learned and therefore able to keep track of grades and homework.

We have homeschooled for 7 years.  My 10 yr old is on a 5th/6th grade level.  My 12 yr old is on a 9th grade level.  My 2nd grader is a delayed learner so putting him in public school would only delay him more since the "No child left behind" policy is to teach to the lowest common denominator.  

Our state university, University of Maryland, gives grants to homeschoolers now.  At homeschooling conferences across the nation, there are major universities, including Yale and Harvard that are wooing homeschooled high school students.  Out of the top 10 graduates for from the Harvard School of Medicine this past year, 4 were homeschooled in their high school years.  My nephew is going to Yale and he was homeschooled for most of his school age life.  

When you look at curriculums such as Calvert, there are lesson manuals and text-books that are the same as used at the Calvert Day School (which Sandra Day-O'Connor graduated from).  

My kids also are able to carry on a successful conversation with adults, shake hands when introducing themselves and always say "Please" "Thank you", etc... none of which you hear at public schools, believe me, been there and seen that.  

I have been stopped several times in public with people thanking me for homeschooling because the research is coming back in an overwhelming rate that homeschooled children rarely do drugs or have teen age pregnancies. They also have higher GPAs and are leaders in their community.  

My oldest son is on the advisory board for our county's library system.  He writes children's/teen book reviews for area publications.  The local newspaper was looking for a teen at area schools that could write a book/movie review column, but couldn't find a teen willing to put in the hours nor one that could conjugate a sentence save his/her soul.

I am a 'professional' teacher in that I am able to teach successfuly in many areas of education and have the desire and love for the profession.  I am applauded by public teachers that I meet because they know that children who are at advanced levels(like my 2 older ones) or subsequently at levels that need a bit extra help(like my youngest) will not get the necessary attention in a public school atmosphere.  

Hence, I hope that this might clarify some of the 'mythology' regarding homeschooling and also will enlighten those that need a bit more 'education' on the issue.

Below is a link to the Calvert School and this might help others understand what is being taught out here by we homeschoolers.

http://www.calvertschool.org/accredited-...

Also, I need to clarify that there are homeschoolers that 'unschool'.  The 'unschool' school of thought is that children have more control on what they want to learn.  It is rarely done properly.  This might be the reason that one of the posts indicated he/she met an 11 yr old that couldn't read.  SOME, not all, unschoolers don't do it properly.  John Holt, the 'father' of unschooling, feels that children should 'lead' themselves on their learning adventure.  However, he also stresses that parents do need to 'guide' their children so they are able to 'keep up' with their peers of the same 'grade/age'.  Many 'unschoolers' are kind of willy-nilly.  Granted, I want to stress, that not ALL unschoolers are of this ilk, but they are of the minority.  I lead a homeschooling panel that is filled with homeschoolers of all walks of life and schools of thought.  I have seen the gamut of 'unschoolers'.  It would not work for our family but I do not discount it when it is properly done.  For the majority of homeschoolers in the United States, 'traditional' homeschooling is what is practiced, which is basically the use of text books/teacher's manuals from publishers like Houghton-Mifflen or esteemed companies like Saxon Math and on sites such as Kolbe.  Not all homeschoolers are Christian Fundalmentalists either.  We are Catholic, so we do incorporate a religious education class in our day, but we use textbooks from McGraw-Hill, etc..  But there are many homeschoolers out here that are mainstream families, no different from your neighbor, that are successfully homeschooling.

Answer 2

I believe that much of it depends on the quality of education available from wither side of the argument. A poor school district is just as bad an an unqualified parent-teacher. A good school district is just as good as a qualified home-teacher.

The problem is the the negative versions exist in both sides. I have seen very inadequate school systems, and I have also met home school children, that at age 11 do not know how to measure with a ruler or figure the perimeter of a rectangle. Professional educators have a great commitment to their students and that level must be present in the home school environment as well.

Answer 3

Give me a break with the socialization Myth. Do people truly believe that you have to go to a room full of kids your own age to be socialized? My kids, like myself, have friends of all ages, races, economic backgrounds and faiths. If you are stuck in a class room for 8 plus hours a day, when you have time to truly get to know some one? We are involved in our church, in dance, clubs, sports and volunteering. Thank God for home schooling or we would not have time for it all. Check out this article:

http://learninfreedom.org/socialization....

I saw the other question you asked, about wanting to be home schooled. You need to have your parents support, but at your age you can do independent study. There are many different curriculums’ out there. Do a lot of research first on what you would study and what your future plans are. My oldest will be starting at the community college next year for most of her classes, she is 16. That is something to look at as well.  

Here is a website that will tell you the legal requirements for your state.

www.hslda.org

added: I should add, my oldest is now taking a few classes at the highschool and does fine socially. She isn't in one "click" and doesn’t like all the drama. If people don't like her for who she is, she has the self confidence not to care. She has plenty of friends there and has emerged as a leader. She has been home schooled up to this point.

added again:

Trinity, you must be one of those teachers who refuse to do a little research and find that home schooling has proven in most all cases to be a success. BTW, I have done research  and helped with lesson plans for some of those "expert" teachers and they are very grateful.  I also baby-sit for 2 teachers who tell me on a regular basis that they could never cover the material that I cover; they do not have the time. I have NO college, and I do rely on tutors to help my older daughter with higher math and science. The point is, I make the choices and follow her progress, not some system of so called experts.

Good Luck.

Answer 4

I don't need to 'argue it out'; I already know that home education is the best.

Answer 5

pUBLIC SHOOL.wAHTS MORE FUN GOING TO SCHOOL WITH ALL YOUR BUDDIES

Answer 6

Homeschool! The education is better. I still have tons of friends and tons of social time, so much, in fact, I am too busy! Monday we chill, Tuesday we ice skate, Wednesday I have piano and we go to our church, Thursday we play indoor soccer with a bunch of kids, and Friday we usually spend the night at someone's house or something. It really depends on the people who do it. We know people who don't take it seriously...... and people who do. You can give homeschool a good or a bad name. We know highschoolers who are homeschooled that think when you are saying "I want our team to win," win would be spelled when. That's the kind of thing that gives it a bad name. The people that have no social life, and are stuck at home and never get out give homeschooling the bad name too. You just have to combine social and study! I'm a homeschooled kid, and yes, sometimes I do miss public school, but I'd never give up what I've gotten from homeschooling.

Thanks for your topic, it got a lot of people thinking! Maybe people will listen to some of the answers and not be so tough on homeschoolers! By the way, are you homeschooled?

Answer 7

Frankly, the only people qualified to answer this are those who have tried both-how else can you truly know the pros and cons (vs. relying on myth and stereotype to form your opinion?) Can you really KNOW what homeschool is like unless you have homeschooled? No, not really. Can you truly grasp public school before you have experienced it? I don't think you can

Having tried both, homeschool is better in ALL aspects. It blows public school away

*****TRINITY-not surprisingly, your logic is flawed-of COURSE we would get laughed out of school because we are not qualified.......not qualified to TEACH PUBLIC SCHOOL. However state laws agree that if we have a highschool diploma that alone makes us qualified to teach our own kids-teaching public school and teaching homeschool are two different ball games, and naturally do not require the same certification.

Answer 8

i think its a personal preference..i knwo a lot of women who homeschool their kids..it gives them one on one involvement and they can help them moreso than beingin a public school you have 30 some kids in each class so you lack the personal interaction...where as in a public school you get to be around other kids and interact and in a sense get introduced to what youre in for after highschool....i think that it could be a challenged for kids that are homeschooled to go onto college...as far as the social aspect...each has their own benefits and disadvantages

Answer 9

Ok I use to teach in both Private and Public schools K-3rd grades. I also am a homeschooling Mom. For us homeschooling is a better fit for us. Homeschooling is not for everyone. You really have to be dedicated and have th love of teaching your own children.

Some parents don't have the patience for their children to make it work so outside school would be a better solution for everyone involved.

Oh the MYTH of socialization. I can't begin to tell you how sick and tired I get of hearing this one over and over. When will people every give up on this silliness.

Proper socialization is certaintly not sitting in a room 8 hours a day with kids your own age. Most of the time you aren't even able to talk during class or socialize anyways.

My daughter gets to socialize with people of all ages from birth up to old age everyday several times a day. She has excellent socialization skills and knows even at the young age of 5 how to deal with a variety of people of different races and ages. You can't get better socialization that thru homeschooling.



We are also involved in activities that children that go to school don't get an opportunity to do because while they are stuck in a classroom most of the day we are spending our time on trips, going places and learning.

We don't have a one curriculum fits all to deal with. She can learn at her own pace and spend as much time as she likes on what she is interested in. If we decide in the middle of the day we want to take off and go to the zoo, the park, the store, getting supplies, etc we just take off and go. So many freedoms you can never get in school.

We are a closer knit family because we homeschool. I get the opportunity to be with my daughter 24-7 which it should be that way for us. It is wonderful. To get the time to watch her learn and grow. To be her main Teacher.

This world is so screwed up in their thinking when it comes to Education and wore ethics.

There are plenty of people that really can't afford to miss work and homeschool, but there are other that don't need to work all the long hours, but they choose too because of keeping up with the Jones and I often hear them say, "I could never teach my child or be around them all the time". I think how very sad for them. I feel sorry they don't get the opportunity to really enjoy their children. That they leave it up to the society and complete strangers to teach their children. That they think that is ok somehow. What screwed up thinking.

There are so many myths out there and people against homeschooling because it goes against the grain of society. Everyone is too busy following others that they don't want to think about taking a stand and doing what might work out well for their family.

There are those that are quick to judge what they have no experience with.

I can judge what some schools are like because I have been there done that. I have worked in daycares, preschools, private schools, Christian Schools, Public Schools, as a Nanny, etc. I have seen first hand what a lot of parents think about both Public schools and homeschooling.

You have parents that constantly complain about their children's school, but they don't want to do what it takes to make a difference in their child's education. They are quick to put the blame on the schools. They expect the schools to perform miracles. You put a huge barrel of apples together you are bound to get a few rotten ones in their that cause the rest to rot quickly.

Ok I could go on and on, but people are gonna do what they want to do regardless of what others say.

Homeschooling works great for us and God willing I will never have to send my child to school outside the home. We have downsized our lives just so I can stay home with our daughter and it is totally worth it.

Everywhere I go I get more compliments on my daughter how smart, bright, well mannered, polite, friendly she is. I can smile and feel proud. They also mention that she acts so much better than the kids that go to regular school. That makes me feel even better. I know I am doing something right.

I hope many more parents get the opportunity to try homeschooling and have success with it. It is wonderful to experience the freedoms that come along with it.

Answer 10

DONT REALLY CARE AS LONG AS THE KIDS LEARN

Answer 11

I think both have good and bad sides to it. Public school is good because it teaches social skills as well as having the extra activities after school.

Home schooling is good for the one on one attention that they probably wouldn't get in public school due to over crowding. The down side to home schooling is no socialization with kids their own age.

Answer 12

We have also done all three - public, private and homeschool.

Homeschool far surpasses the other two - in all areas.  In private school my son did great academically and socially. In public school my son did great academically but sort of withdrew socially.  He was ridiculed by a teacher for being a "yankee" in front of his classmates.  He was ostracized by the  "popular" kids for being smart.  He started to hide his personality and his intelligence.  Our primary reason for homeschooling was social.  Academics was secondary.  Now that we are homeschooling, my son is starting to blossom and feel comfortable again being himself.

Also, I have taught in private and public schools and now I am the primary homeschool teacher.  And from that perspective, I still maintain that homeschool certainly works best for us.  You just might not believe some of the stuff that I saw in the public school system.

I'm going to change the argument just a bit... rather than argue for or against any particular mode of education...

I believe in the freedom of a parent to choose what method of education is best for their own child(ren) and circumstances.  What bothers me most about the homeschool critics is the feeling I get that they are trying to take an important liberty away from me and my family.

I just don't think anyone should be forced to attend a government run school system.  I find the very notion repulsive.

Answer 13

Why argue about it?  That's why we have choices.  No one choice is right for everyone, but it is right that everyone have the choice.

We homeschool, because that is the choice that is right for my son.  Academically, his needs are way beyond what our district can provide.  We live in what is supposedly the "best" district in the area...what this means is that they take state in football more often than other schools.  The gifted program is a joke, and my son was recommended for Ritalin on the second day of school because he <gasp> talked (!!) when he was bored at age 6.

(He's turning 10 this month...he's starting Algebra in the spring, learning Greek and Spanish, and takes 2-3 science courses at a time.  His favorite books include The Hobbit, anything by CS Lewis, and the Redwall series, and he reads the Bible cover to cover on an annual basis.  Sure sounds like a problem kid, eh?)

However, that doesn't mean that public school is bad.  My parents have been public school teachers for decades (and have much better attitudes than Trinity, thank goodness), and I believe wholeheartedly in what they do.  They are incredible teachers - National Board Certified - and put 110% into what they do.  I'm in my 30's now, and people still tell me what they remember of my parents' classes whenever I go to visit.

I don't homeschool because public schools are "bad"...I homeschool because it's what my son needs.  I am able to give him an excellent education, though I don't give it all myself.  What Trinity is ignorant of is the fact that homeschooling doesn't mean that Mom has to teach everything.  Even though I am a linguist and am perfectly capable of teaching my son Spanish, his Spanish teacher is a native speaker who teaches college Spanish.  His science teacher is a degreed scientist, and his writing teacher is a long-time writing teacher.  He takes art lessons from a local artist and volunteers at the art department of a major university.  I am perfectly capable of teaching these subjects to my own son on a middle-school level, but they are more so...which is why I enlist them to teach him.  (With some of his instructors I trade services for lessons, and some have taken my son on pro bono because he truly wants to learn what they have to teach.)

Public schooling provides the structure, accountability, and competition that some kids very much need.  Homeschooling provides the freedom of scheduling, coursework, and teaching style that other kids need.  It isn't a matter of which is better...it's a matter of which is better for that particular child.

Answer 14

Instead of writing a long opinion on this I'll give several sites that will argue this point in such detail, one can sit and read the articles for hours, days, even a week or two if interested.

However I do believe none of these arguments, points, opinions, or whatever we want to call them are either new, or unfamiliar to most of us.

http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=na...

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article...

http://www.nhen.org/printfriendly.asp?ID...

http://www.familyebizmom.com/cgi-bin/arp...

Addition:

theadvocate; agreed.

We have tried all three, DOD (public), private, and home schooling.

Homeschooling surpasses all in academics, one on one attention, emotional, and social development, positive environment, and most important  real educational freedom/choice.

ysn: Amen.

Answer 15

A lot depends are you talking theoretical or not.

Since I have to work I can't stay home so even if I wanted to I couldn't, but I'd generally prefer to and would do it nights and weekends as augementation.

The schools where I am are somewhat safe, but not terrifically well equipped.  They don't have a high school radio station or public access production system, they probably don't have fantstic lab facilities for chemistry and physics.

My personal algebra skills are iffy, my geometry skills are so so and my trig skills are limited.

So it would be a joint learning experience.

Most of my math skills come from my professional computer programming in single user software.  So that is a skill I would homeschool strong.

My background is heavily BASIC but I did work in Modula 2, understand Pascal and C and a little C++ and most recently downloaded C# which I intend to unschool on.

Microsoft makes lite versions of the NET system available free along with the documentation and it even integrates with SQL server

Not personal SQL, but SQL Server the full size puppy

Since my mother devised her own homeschool system to teach me keyboarding I'd probably work with her concept which was the think concenpt.  You think of the fingers on your hande on the QWERTY keyboard and what row and finger is used for what letter.

That is a good ROTE system for learning touch typing.

I mastered it at age 7 and it got me an A in middle school typing at the age of 13 because I was doing 50 WPM.

My mother also homeschooled me in music notation and theory and emparted a system she learned in a private institute.

To this day when I do studio work with a singer and some song is in the wrong key I can sit behind a guitar or piano and find her range and figure out in a few minutes what changes to make in the charts for the best performance.

In working with bands I was the one who always came up with the chartes from the albums because I could listen to it and figure the progression out in moments and come up with charts and arragements.

I've done this under the most difficult of conditions with a tape that's between keys (in the cracks) and a piano that's out of tune.  I remember the girls wanted to do this Pointer sisters song "I'm so excited" and it took me an hour to get what the piano and syth player were doing.  After that point I was able to do the song enough for them to sing it.

I had to integrate both the doddling on the piano and the chord patterns on the syth track to make a composite.

All of this came from homeschooling and unschooling, no high school teacher can show you how to effectively do this.

My mother just showed me the basics of how to count steps and make all your chords that way.

My mother used to do this for me on her accordion.  She'd get into the 7th, minior 7th and minors 6s, diminished and augmented.

I'd play some song for her I'd want to learn and in 5 minute she'd give me a run down of the chords

I'm still not as fast as she was, but I can hold my own after all these years.

I still have all my camera equipment so I can still teach photography but my darkroom equipment is long gone.  I'd proably teach as I learned.

I get the Edmunds Optical Bench for $50 and show them how to make telescopes, microscopes and enlargers.

My first enlarger was a shoe box with a magnifying glass and a toilet paper roll as the lens barrel.

I currently show girl scouts how to pre-film for the Fuji 922 and tell them about the basic chemical proceses and light processes of film.

We also teach them to print on the Frontier machine and do color adjustments and density adjustments.

We generally spend half an evening with girls 9-13 and they each do their own roll of film from start to finish.

They get to work on half a million dollars in professioinal equipment.

I also have video and 16mm equipment, but all my editing stuff is long gone (I used to have rewinds, viewscopes) so I'd have to rent gear or buy it on Ebay to do 16mm A and B roll work for a sound film with insivisble splices.

I also have and older version of Pinnacle Studio and Premier and Vegas Video so I can show them non linear editing.

Since I learned all sorts of lighting tricks I can show them how to do a natural lighted interior with BBA bulbs.

Since I know my electricity to a degree I can show them how to size out a breaker box and determine where the circuits are so they won't overload things.

I still have Quick Time producer and Adobe PDF maker so I can show them how to imbed videos into E-documents and books.

Between Studio and Quick time we can render almost anything, which I used to do for singers for their demo materials and web sites.

I made E-CDs that play in normal walkman and CD players and also show videos and pictures on a computer

I also have light scribe so we can make laser labled disks.

My old software offerings will show them how to make jewel case covers with pictures and logos.

That was once by top seller.

Since I was an amateur astronomer since childhoold I've been meaning to get another telescope and we'd do that with a start chart and I'd invest in a new Observer's Handbook, which was $3 when I was a kid but is more like $50 today.

I first got published in sky and telescope at 16.

I sort of know where the ring neubla still is, and definately know where the great nebula in orion is and where the pleadeds are and can find the major planets just by looking up at the sky.

I know how to do astro photography and hve been trying to teach this guy I know how to do it.

I used to do it with a $5 camera.

The secret was doing your own darkroom work.  So I'd have to go to Ritz and start a darkroom again with tanks and reels and tri chem packs and microdol.

I haven't tried putting a web cam to the telescope, but it's theoreticlly possble.  It has a wide angle enough lens to work effectively, but the USB cables are short.

We probably have to experiment with splicing longer cables and using op amps to boost the signal.

So we get into electronics that way and I was schooled at the age of 11 in electronics (tubes of course).

My starting disseratation in electronics would be to buy a cheap metromone and open the back and describe to them exactly what is going on, which typically is a battery conntected to a potentiometer (variable resistor that changes the voltage of the 9 volt battery from 9 volts to less than a volt), diodes to keep the electric flow in one direction, an electrolytic capacitor to collect the voltage and release it in one fell swoop to the speaker and LED light.

The capacitor and potentiometer regulates the speed of the clicks.  It takes longer at 3 volts to fill that capcitor up than it does at 9 volts.  Thus to slow the speed down you cut the voltage.

Very simple, effective device that demonstrats rudimentary DC electricty principals.

Since I did a history of invention for optical and chemical and electronic visuals for a book I'm writing on TV and Motion Pictures, I'd go through the history with them.

Amber and silk cloth for static electricity.

We'd try and make a leyden jar

Use the amber to charge it

Try and make a chemical wet cell battery (I am told household salt can be used, but I never tried it).

Show how electricty from a batter into a wire can pull a magenet from north to the wire (emf) and do the bar magnet and metal fileing experiment over paper.

I've already demontrated to pre teens how electro plating works with Zinc Strips, 9 V batter and copper sulfate dissolved in a glass of water.

It plates half of one zinc strip copper.

That's how CD and DVD masters are made by electroplating the glass master and growing a metal part.

You won't even learn this stuff in college half the time.  Not unless you take an Engineering major or a chemistry major.

Yet electroplating is a major occupational field.

It's how plated gold is made.

It's how DVD and CDs are made at the plant

It's a part of audio work since the 1950s when they first started making vinyl records.

This is where homeschooling shines the most.  Giving a rounded education on how the world works.

I'm also told you can do the plating experiment with table salt and copper wire or strips, as metalical salt is nickel colored.

Salt is a metal you know.

So electrolysis should bind the sodium metal to the copper wire or strip.

It also details anode and cathode and there is also a gas released at either the anode or cathode during the reaction process.

I've always wondered if one could set up a small oil refinery at home.  It would be useful in teaching organic chemistry showing how the refining process renders methane, pentane, butane and how you eventually render motor oil, kerosene, gasoline, machine oil.

Something to cook a beaker worth of crude oil and distill a little of this and a little of that.

Photo cells and light bulbs to demonstrate how a video signal is created on a rudimentary level.

A ball and socket joint with a steel or iron rod can be used to show how magnitism works to move things and even draw things.

You can attach a small LED laser to the steel rod.

You build your own Yoke coil to generate magnetic fields up and down and sideways

This is how CRT TV sets work, except they use a stream of electrons instead of a metal rod.

But the principals are the same.

You build two DC occilator circuits using a modified principal of what you learned with the metronome.

You want a capacitor to release a charge at two different levels. A slow one up and down and a fast one sideways.

A flyback circuit that shuts the LED off and returns it to the left.

This draws scan lines on a white sheet of paper some distance away.

It is a rudimentary TV set and even a rudimentry computer printer because that's sort of how a laser printer works.

These things take time, investment and yu can fail from time to time.

But teaches real world physics.

You can integrate math into this, since all these processes have well defined laws and formuals.

Taking our little light scribe experiment yu can integrate it with algebra, gemometry and trig.

Drawing a circle involves sine, cosine and geometrical x,y coordinates plus a diameter or radius.

The concept is to integrate the math with the electronic circuit to direct a magentic field to do these tricks.

This, then, demonstrates vector graphics.

Your scan lines demonstrates raster graphics.

At least the principal, you probably can't get it fast enough to leave a full image.

Most of what I detailed comes from unschooling and homeschooling and very little comes from brick schooling.

I did pick a lot of people's brains (my cousins are math professors, engineers, our friends worked for Atari, I was trained by engineers at Admiral Television in Chicago) and a lot of reading and playing a lot of what if games.

What if I do this?

What IF I put  some Velox printing paper on one side of a shoe box and my negative on the other side with a light behind it and mount a magnifying glass inside the box?

You try it, it either works or it don't.

Getting a lecture out of a brick school teacher or reading a book only takes you so far.

Application of what you learn is a key step in the process.

Computer programming is learning what operators and functions do so you can put them to work doing a task.

You want to write a text processor with justification and work wrap you have to devise a system that measures the line, holds words in a que (variable), dumps those words down on the line if there is enough room or puts them down to the next line and fills the previous lines with extra padding spaces.

That's all an algebraic process.

It's all working with variables and numbers.

You have to hold things in areas.

Keep count of things.

Define what a space is

Keep count of spaces

Keep track of line size

Use math equations to add extra spaces

Re-write lines with extra spaces

When you do the process and watch it work for the first time and realize you just did what programmers at Microsoft do and you didn't copy the work from their coding, you came up with it from your brain, you feel good about what you can do!

When yo write your own paint program and come up with an idea for making an airbrush tool with different size "holes" for a varied stream or a varied look and you play with it and see what it does it's a very strange feeling.

You use the circle tool to create a red ball.

Then you use your air brush tool to make small white area on the top left and it starts to make the ball look 3-D.

You turn it into an elipse and use black to generate a air bush shadown at the base of the ball and now you are really going 3-D.

And you created all the tools to do this.

You actually feel like a kid again.

You're having fun playing with your code to create different shapes, textures.

Learning is about accomplishment.  You sit and learn a music instrument but until you can play a song you haven't accomplished anything.

Answer 16

As is usual in this subject noone will agree and everyone 'thinks' that they are right (big sigh).

So let's all 'agree to disagree'.

My experience has been this..... my daughter has been to Public,Private AND Homeschool. We prefer Homeschool since she learns faster...I don't time her on things and when she starts showing frustration on something, we back off or go to another subject...you can't do that in regular school.

Here in Florida we don't have to worry about FCAT's or DIBELs or any other tests. As long as she shows progress we are good to go.

I don't expect her to be a Brain Surgeon, but I do expect her to TRY her best. I don't present her lessons in a boring manner, but in a manner that makes her WANT to learn and ASK questions. If I don't have the answer, I am TRUTHFUL and tell her I don't know..but I also tell her we can find the answer TOGETHER. As long as she is willing to give her best, I will give her my best.

I don't hold a B.A or A.A or a Doctorate, I do hold a CDA for Early Childhood and taught preschool for 13 yrs. Other than that the only thing I hold higher is my RIGHTFUL title..that of MOTHER.

As for Trinity's remarks that only the 'PROs' should be teaching........Please take your head OUT of the sand pile dear and LOOK at the REAL world. We have these so called 'PROs' being arrested for Assault, Sexual Misconduct,Attempted Murder... they complain they don't get paid enough but yet they want more days off, the children are unruly so let's stick them in Special Ed classes (do your job right and maybe Johnny will read and Mary will learn to add), Mr. Moore's field is Science but he is teaching Math while Ms. Jacob's field is Math and she's teaching Art. ( I personally know someone who's field is Math and she's teaching Science to High Schooler's because they couldn't find anyone qualified).

So if you believe the garbage coming out of the mouth's of the Goverment as to how we stand in the education of our youth, than you are reaping what you sow and I have NO pity for you.

Answer 17

Everyone should understand that it is going to depend on the kid and on the teachers.

I am a high school teacher in a public school and so was my wife.  We intended to home school through the elementary level, but quickly came to the conclusion that we were not good teachers for elementary school.  We certainly knew the topics and the information.  We didn't know how to take our developed skill set (teaching older kids in larger groups) and mold it to the needs of our kids.  Our kids would have suffered through years of bad education had we chosen to keep home schooling.  

Now, they are in an awesome school and doing exceedingly well, and we support and add to the curriculum as we see fit.

I have to laugh at History Mom's comment that the "Pros" are molesters, assaulters, etc....  If that logic was used to keep kids out of public schools, then "logically," we should be pulling kids out of homes.  Statistically, it is much safer for kids at school than at home.<-----Don't get side tracked on that though.

Answer 18

LOL on the "everyone argue it out"!

It completely depends on the family and the situation. We homeschool, but that doesn't mean I feel that homeschooling is better in every case. I truly feel that homeschooling is the better choice for our kids. I know parents who really have a hard time being with their kids that much--they're great parents, but spending that much time just does in their relationship with their kids. Public school is definitely the better choice for them over homeschooling.

ADDED: {rolling my eyes} at the answer that says that homeschooled kids don't get time with other kids. That's nonsense!!!!